CORE & SHELL

McKinney Green Building, the first privately held, certified Core & Shell LEED® Platinum office building in the United States, is both a significant and unique project. Multiple sustainable design elements deliver high energy-efficiency and superior indoor environmental quality. This project is tangible proof of how successful an integrated design process can be when owner, designer and contractor partner together in developing cutting-edge solutions for otherwise traditional projects.

The site, 3.0 acres of gently sloping undeveloped land within a rapidly growing area of McKinney, Texas, became the location for this high-performance building, providing office space to the local community, as well as an educational tool for residents and schools to teach the benefits of sustainable design. The project exceeded several performance goals originally set (i.e., energy efficiency, water efficiency and high indoor air quality). At the same time, its physical design blends a corporate image with the aesthetic demands of the adjacent residential neighborhood. The latter was accomplished by articulating building volumes, featuring louvered shutters and employing wood supports for vine-clad terraces at the third level. Cisterns situated at corners of the building and retention basins hidden beneath permeable parking areas hold water for irrigation purposes.